Notable Odisha IAS Officer Sujata Karthikeyan Retires Voluntarily
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Synopsis
Sujata Karthikeyan, a senior IAS officer from Odisha, has opted for voluntary retirement after years of impactful service in women's empowerment, education, and sports. Her initiatives have left a lasting legacy in the state.
Key Takeaways
- Voluntary retirement of IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan.
- Focus on women’s empowerment and education.
- Innovative projects like bicycle distribution for girls.
- Leadership in the successful ‘Mission Shakti’ initiative.
- Promotion of sports in Naxal-affected areas.
New Delhi, March 29 (NationPress) Senior IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan from the Odisha cadre has chosen to take voluntary retirement after a distinguished career dedicated to women’s empowerment, education, and sports.
The Indian government has sanctioned her request, and the Odisha state administration has been directed to issue the required notification.
A 2000-batch IAS officer, Sujata is an alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, where she earned her degree in Political Science. She further pursued a Master’s Degree in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Her career began in the Maoist-affected Sundargarh district, where she initiated a groundbreaking project that provided bicycles to high school girls under the slogan ‘Mobility is Empowerment’.
Backed by banks, this initiative helped lower dropout rates and was subsequently embraced throughout Odisha. Renowned for her creative strategies, she also incorporated eggs into the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme in Sundargarh in 2006, which significantly boosted student enrollment.
As the Collector of Cuttack, she made history by becoming the first woman to occupy that role. Later, she took on the position of Director of Social Welfare, where she led the highly effective ‘Mission Shakti’ initiative under then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
This program supported 70 lakh women, enhancing credit linkages to women’s self-help groups from Rs 500 crore to Rs 15,000 crore.
Karthikeyan’s contributions to promoting women entrepreneurs were recognized with the establishment of ‘Mission Shakti’ bazaars, gaining attention from global figures such as Bill Gates.
She also made significant contributions to sports, especially football, in the Naxal-prone regions of Odisha. She launched sports initiatives aimed at helping youth avoid violence and set up hostels for aspiring hockey players.
During her brief stint as Secretary of Culture, she successfully organized the inaugural World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar, which attracted Odia enthusiasts from around the globe.
She concluded her service as Special Secretary in the state Finance Department.
